Faded
by NekoIllustrations
Summary: Twenty years without any word, sixty gone by without any hope. Will they ever recover what was lost, or will memories fade like the passing of time?
1. Chapter 1

**Well I started writing this and ended up liking it, so... yeah, enjoy it. I don't have much of an explanation to give you all, but read and review if you feel like it.**

**1**

Quick feet stepped across the lacquer floor, stepping carefully, yet determinedly against the wooden surface with painstaking precision. Graceful arms and legs shifted with sharp, yet fluid movements, in perfect timing with the commands. Lithe bodies twisted as they swung the objects in their hands, creating dramatic shapes as they continued their way across the floor. Unspoken emotions flowed from the students, filling the room with an intensity that can only come from such dedication as they were showing tonight.

The instructor came forward, clapping his hands to signal the end of the session. The students breathed heavily, the strain of the practice weighing thickly on their bodies. The instructor approached one of them, who was waiting patiently for the end of practice announcements, somehow not as tired as the others. He knelt beside her, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm moving you up," the coach said with a grin, "You'll start training with a new coach tomorrow."

The girl looked at him in surprise, "But I thought I wouldn't be moving up for while, considering I just started this year."

"Well you've come a long way, haven't you?" the instructor said with a laugh, "Your endurance and speed at picking this stuff up went far beyond what I'd expected when I first met you. As it is, I have nothing more to teach you."

That same girl, now a young woman, opened her eyes as the annoying buzz of an alarm went off beside her bed. She fumbled for it blindly, choosing to throw it against the wall to turn it off rather than look for the small button that was meant for such a purpose. Despite her exhaustion, she slid out of bed with a low groan, cursing as the wail of a siren passed her apartment building, ringing through her head.

She stretched, pouring herself a cup of coffee and wondering why it was taking so long for the ambulance to pass. It wasn't until she heard frantic footsteps running through the hallway outside that she realized that something was genuinely wrong. She crossed her apartment, opening the door to see a pair of EMTs carrying someone of a stretcher, a white sheet covering most of their body. However, as they approached her, the young woman caught sight of the old leather watch on the person's wrist.

She'd known the old man pretty well, he'd brought her fresh vegetables that he'd grown himself every week. He was a kind, elderly person, but had always seemed so healthy, it was hard for her to believe that he was actually dead. However, even as she watched the stretcher pass, she could tell that he was never going to bring her his vegetables again.

A third technician spotted her, "I'm so sorry to disturb you, miss," he said as he walked over to her, "Did you know that old man?"

She nodded, "He was very kind to me," she said, "and he always seemed so healthy, it's hard for me to believe he would just… die…"

"Even the healthy can suffer a stroke," the technician said, "But it seems as though he died a relatively painless death, for which we should be glad."

The young woman nodded, "Yes, it's good he didn't have to suffer much."

"My I ask your name?"

"Kirihara Kaida," she replied.

"Are you of any relation to that man?"

She shook her head, "No," she replied, "I'm just another tenant in the building. I think he told me once that he didn't have any family worth mentioning."

"I see" the technician said, "then, will you be present at his funeral? We'll try and get in touch with any other relatives, but I think he'd like to have a friend present as well."

She thought for a moment, then nodded, "Just contact the landlady and she'll let me know when it is," she said, "if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for school."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry for delaying you," the technician said, somewhat thrown off by her impassive expression. As he left, he thought better of it, after all, sadness often manifested itself in different ways.

The young woman returned to her apartment and proceeded to get dressed. Her attire wasn't what one would expect of a respectable college student. She donned a pair of ripped blue-jeans and a white tank-top, over which she put a black hooded sweater. She packed a small sports bag and put her textbooks and other supplies into a larger, more professional-looking messenger bag before putting on her sneakers and heading out to her bus stop. A moment later, she returned, realizing that she'd forgotten the rectangular hard case that she had placed on the bed shortly after waking up.

She got to the campus around seven, her usual time, and deposited her bags inside her studio before pulling her hair back into a low ponytail. She opened the black case, revealing various brushes, paints, and other art supplies, and set it one a small table next to her easel. On it an unfinished painting stood resting on its wooden surface. It portrayed a scene from what may have been a village in medieval Japan. A young boy and girl ran through the streets together, happily playing together, judging by their body movements. The painting was almost completely, the only things missing were the hair and faces of the two children. Try as she might, the young artist could not find the right image to put on their perpetually blank countenances.

The low buzz of her cell phone brought her our of her reverie as she dug through the contents of her sports bag. She finally extracted the black and silver object just in time to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Kai, are you already there?" a familiar voice asked, using her preferred nickname.

"Yeah," She replied, "you know I always come in early, Kyoko. I have that exposition coming up too."

"Sorry," Kyoko said, Kai could hear to weariness in her voice, "It's just that I haven't been sleeping well ever since Haru went into surgery."

"Ishida sensei said he was fine, didn't he?" Kai asked, leaning against the wall of her studio, "You shouldn't worry so much, he'll pull through, he's strong."

"I suppose," Kyoko replied, "Anyway, I called because we have a training session tomorrow afternoon."

"With who?" Kai asked with a yawn.

"I think everyone," Kyoko said, "Anyway, my bus is here, I'll talk to you at school."

"Alright, see you, and calm down about Haru, he'll be just fine," Kai said before she hung up. She took one last look at the painting before shaking her head in defeat. She had more pressing things to work on.

"ISHIDA YOU MORON!" Ichigo said as he sprinted between his classmate and the hulking figure at the gate.

"I think you're the moron here, Kurosaki," Ishida said, "Are you really going to bother fighting these guys off?"

"I'm not going to let you do it, that's for sure," Ichigo said heatedly.

"If you two girls are done bitching," the leader of the gang said with a stupid grin, "I'd like to get started with my destruction of Kurosaki Ichigo."

"You make it sound like all girls do is argue," a new voice said. The two students and the gang turned to see a young man who looked like he could be a university student standing on the wall that surrounded the school. He was dressed in black slacks and button down along with similarly colored boots. The red scarf tied around his waist matched the tips of his otherwise black hair. Another stretch of red fabric was wrapped his upper left arm, a black dragon embroidered on its surface. The dog tags around his neck jingled as he hopped lightly onto the school grounds, glaring disdainfully at the high school gang.

"Your application is a long way from being accepted as it is," he said to the leader, who was looking at him in fear, "Such childish displays aren't helping you much."

"But he knocked out seven of my boy's teeth!" the leader said, "I just can't let that go!"

"My clan doesn't condone meaningless fighting," the young man said, "you're applying to wrong faction if you think all we engage in is petty robbery and overzealous displays of power. I've only been leader for about three years now, but I take pride in upholding the system my predecessors took such care to put in place. If I don't think you'll obey the system, it's beyond unlikely that you'll be accepted into the clan."

"Clan?" Ishida said, "Are you a Yakuza?"

"Hardly," the young man said with a bark of laughter. He walked over to Ichigo, grinning, "So you're the famous Kurosaki Ichigo," he said, looking the orange-haired boy up and down, "There's been a lot of take about you on the underground. You're rumored to be one of the best fighters in Karakura."

"Am I?" Ichigo said warily, "Well that doesn't mean much to me, considering I don't plan on making a life of it."

"Shame," the young man said. After a pause, he asked, "Have you ever heard of the Zodiac, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo shrugged, "Once or twice, but I don't get what's so important about them." He said, "Aren't they just another gang like these guys?"

"I'm a little insulted you're so ill informed." the man said, his grin fading, "The Zodiac isn't one gang, it's a network of twelve groups, each controlling on section of the surrounding areas of Tokyo. We operate a much different scale than these twits," he added, nodding at the gang behind him, "please don't lump us together again."

"So what? Who are you anyway?" Ichigo demanded.

"My apologies," the young man said, bowing, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kurosaki Ichigo, my name is Fowler, leader of the Zodiac's Dragon faction."

"And what does such an illustrious gang leader want with me?" Ichigo asked, slightly taken aback by the politeness of such a person.

"I came here to offer you a place in our faction," Fowler said, "and to ask for your help, regardless of weather or not you accept my offer."

"I'm not about to join a gang, not matter how high up it is," he said, "But I guess I'll hear you out on the other matter. What on earth do you need my help with?"

"I'm looking for someone," the gang leader said, handing him a photo, "That's a few years old, but only about four, she shouldn't look too different. She disappeared around the same time I took on leadership of the Dragons and I've been searching whenever I get the chance, but, as you can imagine, leading such a big faction takes up a lot of my time. I just want to talk things over with her, so I want you to let me know if you see her and get her to come and see me if you can."

Ichigo blinked, "Why me?" he asked, looking down at the photo, "I've never seen this person in my life."

"I saw her once about two years ago," Fowler explained, "but I lost her trail. She was on the phone with someone and your name came up in the conversation. I don't know how you two are connected, seeing as it seems you really don't know her, but I figured she'd be more reasonable if you tried to get her to come and talk with me."

Ichigo looked at Fowler doubtfully, "Well, I'll think about it," he said, "But I'm not going out of my way to look for this person."

Fowler sighed, "That's more than I hoped for," he said, turning to leave, "My offer still stands too, if you change your mind. And by the way, she should be somewhere around nineteen now, if that's any help. And you," he added to the gang, "Get out of my damn sight."

"Yes sir!" the leader said, frantically turning about and running off with the rest of his followers in his wake.

Fowler chuckled, "They shouldn't bother you anymore," he said, walking out of the gate, turning the corner and going out of sight. Once he was gone, Ishida put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, looking at him seriously.

"You're not seriously going to turn this girl in if you see her?" he said.

The other shook his head, "Of course not, I'm not an idiot," he said, "I have no clue how much truth was in what he said, but I'm sure as hell not helping out such a big gang leader."

"I wonder who this person is anyway," Ishida said, taking the photo out of Ichigo's hand. He blinked at it in surprise, staring at the person in the picture, "No way," he said.

"What is it? You know her?" Ichigo said, taking the photo back and looking at it closely, "Well who is it?"

"It's a bit of a stretch, but I think that's a younger version of a friend of one of my dad's current patients. The guy just went through some major surgery, but I saw his girlfriend and her best friend coming out of the hospital room as I was on my way to talk with my father. I don't know their names or anything, but I think they attend Karakura University."

"Well I guess we shouldn't spill much about that," Ichigo said, "Though I still want to know how I came up in her phone conversation."

"Yes, that is strange, considering I think you'd know if she came to your family's clinic."

"Why is that?" Ichigo asked, "She looks pretty normal in this photo."

"Well four years can do a lot to a person's appearance," Ishida said, "I mean, we look pretty different from two years ago, don't you think?"

"Okay, I'll agree with that," Ichigo said, "But I still don't get why I'd-!"

"Oh there you two are!" a teacher said as she came around the corner, "I just came to tell you that all third years have a trip to Karakura University for a tour at the end of the week."

"I guess you'll see what I mean on Friday, Kurosaki," Ishida said, adjusting his glasses and walking away.

"WHAT?" Ichigo cried, running after the bespectacled student with cries of "WHAT THE HELL! TELL ME WHAT YOU MEANT, ISHIDA!" and similar. However, little did he know that he was being watched all the while by a mysterious figure in the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy!**

**2**

"I miss the days you used to hang with us, Shuuhei," Masa said as they walked down the streets of Rukongai's first district, "You were always fun to be around. And when you defended us from that Hollow… just wow."

"That was over a hundred years ago," Shuuhei said with a laugh, "Now look at you, running your own yukata industry."

Masa shook his head, "doesn't compare with you, my friend." He said, "Vice captain of Squad Nine, that's amazing! Yet you still come to visit your friends here, it's damn good of you, Shuuhei."

"Masa?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you… has anyone heard from… or seen…?"

Masa shook his head, "Nothing," he said, "No one's heard from her in almost twenty years," he sighed, "I think it's high time you give up. Focus on someone else, what about that Matsumoto woman you told me about? Didn't you have a thing for her?"

Shuuhei shrugged, "I tried, but I doubt I'll get anywhere, not to mention it really was just a distraction. You know I really feel."

"Shuuhei, I don't think it's healthy for you to carry on like that," Masa said, "for all you know, she could be dead. You do realize that's the most likely outcome, right?"

The shinigami shook his head, "No," he said forcefully, "people don't just up and disappear like she did. Something happened, but I refuse to believe that she's dead!"

"You believe what you want to, Shuuhei," Masa said, "but I think you're deluding yourself."

"On a less depressing topic," Hisagi said, "I'll be leaving tomorrow."

"How is that less depressing?" Masa demanded, "You've only been here a week!"

"That's all the leave time I have this time around," Hisagi said with a shrug, "I'm a lieutenant, I can't be gone for too long, especially since we still haven't found a new captain yet."

"On to the first matter of business," Commander Yamamoto said to his captains as they gathered before him, "We are still in need of new captains for our third, fifth, and ninth squads. I still find it hard to believe that, after two years, we still haven't found anyone to replace Aizen, Gin, or Tousen."

"The only lieutenant who has achieved bankai so far is Abarai Renji of my own company," Byakuya said, "And I still do not believe he is ready to take on command of a squad on his own yet."

"Indeed, this is a quandary," Kyouraku said, "and a tough one at that. However, since we cannot solve this problem now, I think it's time we move on to the rather disquieting news that Ukitake and Kurotsuchi have for us."

"Yes," Ukitake said, "I bring this forward because it concerns Karakura town, which was only recently spared from Aizen's assault. The amount of Hollows appearing there has been increasing at an alarming rate and I was forced to turn to the twelfth squad's research bureau to find an answer to why this is happening."

"As of now," Kurotsuchi said, "we cannot pinpoint the source of this interesting development. However, upon delving further into it, we stumbled upon an even more fascinating phenomenon. I believe it is one that will once again turn the tides of Soul Society as we know it."

"Would you just get on with it and tell us what the hell you found?" Kenpachi growled.

"Patience is a virus I'd love to inject you with someday, Zaraki," Kurotsuchi said, "But I suppose I've delayed long enough. I have discovered that, despite the growing amount of Hollows coming to Karakura, a great effort has been put forth to push them back, an effort far greater than we could expect of our little Quincy. What's even more interesting if that the souls of the Hollows killed in this new effort are being purified and sent to Soul Society. On top of this, the number of successful regular soul purifications has increased as well, beyond what that unreliable fool we placed in Karakura could possibly hope to accomplish."

"You're saying that there are others fighting in Karakura?" Hitsugaya said incredulously, "and that they're shinigami?"

"Yes, I'm surprised how slow you are on the uptake," Kurotsuchi said in his mock-annoyed tone.

"This is indeed a serious development, in more ways than one," Unohana said.

"And it's coming at a troublesome time," Soi Fon added, "After all, we cannot rely on Kurosaki Ichigo anymore."

"True," Komamura said, "We ought to send a group to investigate this, shouldn't we?"

"We should," Ukitake agreed, "one that knows the town well, but can also blend with the citizens. One of us should probably lead them as well."

"I've lead a team there before," Hitsugaya said, "and I know the town well enough, so I'll volunteer to be the leader again."

"But if I remember rightly, Captain Hitsugaya," Kyouraku said hesitantly, "you didn't blend in as well as you would have liked."

"Indeed," Yamamoto said, "I already have a captain in mind as leader," he said, "I think this will be a good chance for Abarai Renji to test himself and his leadership skills. Wouldn't you agree, Captain Kuchiki?"

"I am not opposed to the idea," Byakuya said, "I shall inform him of his mission and instruct him to form a team. How many should I allow him to take?"

"He can take three others with him," the commander.

With that, the captains were dismissed and Byakuya returned to barracks to find his lieutenant in a heated sparring session with Madarame Ikkaku. When they spotted him, they broke apart, bowing respectfully to the noble.

"Is something wrong, Captain?" Renji asked as Byakuya motioned him forward.

"You've been selected to lead a team to Karakura to investigate the recent rise in Hollow activity," Byakuya said, "While you are there, you are also to look into the possibility of other human shinigami living there. You are allotted three others to accompany you, however. Rukia is on another mission with her squad, so I wouldn't bother asking."

"Yes, sir!" Renji said, then turned to Ikkaku, "Yo, you and Yumichika want to go with me on my mission?"

"I'll talk to Capatain Zaraki about it," Ikkaku said with a grin, "Can't wait to see Ichigo again, though. Who else do you think we should take? Matsumoto? She came with us last time."

Renji shook his head, "No, I doubt Captain Hitsugaya would like it, plus she and Yumichika tend to argue a lot. How about Iba?"

"He was injured and is recuperating in the fourth squad's barracks. What about Nanao? Yachiru's out of the question obviously, and I don't want Nemu coming, she creeps me out."

"You know if Nanao leaves, Captain Kyouraku won't do any of his work," Renji said, "so who does that leave?"

"Kira?"

"He's out on a mission," Hisagi said as he entered the barracks. He bowed to Byakuya, holding out an envelope to him, "Captain, this came from the Kuchiki estate, they request you return to the mansion for a short time to discuss some business with the elders."

"Thank you, I will do so immediately," Byakuya said, taking the letter from him.

"Hey, Shuuhei!" Renji said, "Are you busy with anything?"

Hisagi raised and eyebrow questioningly, "Just the usual paperwork and training," he said, "why?"

"We need one more person for a mission," Ikkaku said, "How about you tag along?"

He shrugged, "I don't see why not," he said.

"Sweet! An all-guys trip to Karakura!" Ikkaku said, "If only Captain Zaraki was coming!"

"I, for one, am thankful he isn't," Byakuya said, placing a hand on Hisagi's shoulder, "I wish you the best of luck, Hisagi Shuuhei," he said, "I think you're the one who will trying to maintain order on this mission. I will pray you retain your sanity."

He left the barracks after that to inform the Commander that he would be returning to the mansion for a short while in order to take care of some business. Once he was through with that, he found himself before the elders of the family, including his grandfather, former family head and retired leader of squad six, Kuchiki Ginrei. He bowed respectfully to them all, saying, "I have answered your summons. Might I ask what business we have to discuss."

"Yes," one of the elders, Emiko, said, gesturing to a cushion "Please, sit, this may take some time."

Byakuya did so, patiently waiting for them to speak again.

"The matter we'd like to touch upon is one of significant importance," Emiko said, "Lord Byakuya, you are still in the prime of your youth and yet you have no female companion other than Rukia, who is your adopted sister."

"We understand that your love for Hisana runs deep in your heart," his grandfather said gently, "and I would not push this issue were it not for the fact that you are not just lacking a wife, but also an heir. The Kuchiki family needs to be lead by someone from the head family, Byakuya, they need you be your legitimate child."

Byakuya was careful not to let his indignation show through. He had an heir, but by the same twisted fate that had taken Hisana from him, so had his child. A mere two days after Hisana had given birth, he'd found the nursemaid dead and the infant gone. Even after Hisana had died three years later, he'd continued to send out search parties to the remotest areas of Rukongai, yet he couldn't find his child. He'd never told Rukia about it, and finally gave up a little over twenty years ago.

"I know what you must be thinking, Lord Byakuya," Yomi, his father's brother, said, "But as you know full well, your child if gone. This may seem harsh, but I think you should take this opportunity to provide an heir of indisputable noble blood. Your child was born of a woman from Rukongai, from Inuzuri no less, such background could render other noble families to see your child as an illegitimate ruler."

Byakuya almost had to bite his tongue, so tempted was he to strike his uncle for his insolence. He knew full well the implications of Hisana's background, but he loved both her and his child to the point where he honestly didn't give a damn about what other nobles would say. He'd made that perfectly clear when he's insisted on marrying his wife in the first place. In truth, Byakuya had always hated his uncle, the man was always trying to find ways to undermine his authority and had always competed with his late father for the title of Family Head. Now he was trying to force him into a marriage and Byakuya couldn't stand it. However, out of propriety, he held his anger in check.

"What is your suggestion?" he asked coolly, "I do not see myself as ready to marry again at this point, but I trust you have some solution in mind?"

"It is my belief," Emiko said, "That if you meet a few of the noble women available to you, you might change you mind."

"Can you concede to that, Byakuya?" his grandfather asked, pleading with him to cooperate with his eyes, "There's no harm in a meeting, is there?"

Byakuya shook his head, "No, there is no harm in just a meeting," he said, "I shall agree to this, as long as your meetings to do begin to interfere with my work. I will of course need to be with my squad at certain times as well as attend my captain's meetings." He stood, "However, I take my leave under the certainty that you can handle arranging these meetings around my schedule. Now, I must go see off my lieutenant at the Spirit Gate, I bid you all a pleasant day."

"Please do not delay to long in this, Lord Byakuya," Yomi said as he left, "the life of a captain is very dangerous, and I would hate to see you go to Lady Hisana too early without leaving a legacy behind."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope you like it, reviews are greatly appreciated. Also, please understand that, where I do my best to avoid mistakes, I'm not the best proofreader on the planet, so please excuse any minor weaknesses you find, m'kay? ;)**

**3**

Kai was doubled over, hands on her knees, breathing heavily. She had just finished up a double training session with Muguruma Kensei and Shihoin Yoruichi, the latter of which tossed her a water bottle, saying, "That's enough for today, drink that and rest up."

She sank to the ground, downing the water in a matter of seconds. When she was done, she glared at the plastic container in frustration. Ten years had gone by since she met Urahara and taken up shinigami lessons under Kensei and the other Vizards and seven had gone by since she started training for bankai. However, despite her training and unwavering dedication to all her sessions, she was perpetually blocked from achieving that power by some unknown source.

The training with Yoruichi was another matter entirely. Kai had taken kendo as a kid, but her forte lay in hand to hand combat. As such, Yoruichi had taken her on as an apprentice of sorts, teaching her battle and defense kido. They'd also worked on increasing her speed to the point where her she could almost keep up with Yoruichi herself. The only reason Kai hadn't learned shunko was because her reiatsu wouldn't be able to handle such a dangerous technique. This little detail annoyed Kai as well, seeing as it could've easily made up for inability to achieve bankai.

Then again, Kai hated taking the easy way out.

"You've improved since the last time we sparred," Yoruichi said, kneeling before her and grinning, "You've mastered Cicada as well, I'm impressed."

Kai smiled half-heartedly, "Thanks," she said, then laughed as a thought suddenly occurred to her, "we haven't sparred in almost three months, did you think I'd have fallen behind so easily?"

"It's good to see you're not using college as an excuse not to train," Kensei said as he approached them, "I'd have kicked your ass all the way to Hueco Mundo if you were."

She grinned up at him, "I'd never give you the chance," she said. Her smile faded as she continued, "Look, can you think of anything? I mean, I know some shinigami take ten years to achieve bankai, which gives me three more years, but I'm starting to wonder if… if I'm just not meant to access the technique. I mean, I can't learn shunko because my reiatsu can't handle it, maybe it's the same with bankai, maybe I just can't handle that kind of power."

"Damn it, Kai, don't start going all depressed on me, you know I fucking hate it," Kensei said, running hand over his face wearily, "What the hell did I tell you the first day we started training for this?"

Kai sighed, "That it's extremely difficult to achieve bankai, but that you believed I had the capacity to do it." She glared at the ground, "I know what you said, Shishou, but I'm starting to think you were wrong."

"I'm never wrong!" Kensei cried, hauling Kai to her feet, "You know what you need, kid? A goddamn confidence boost." He raised his fist and punched in her in the gut, knocking her back into a boulder.

"Beating your student into a pulp isn't a confidence boost, Kensei," Yoruichi said calmly as Kai stood shakily, coughing. A moment later, she changed her mind, saying, "But I did forget this is Kai we're dealing with." Kai had just lunged back at the Vizard, kicking him so hard that he went halfway across the arena before coming to a halt.

"Feeling any damn better? Or are you going to whine at me again?" Kensei shouted.

"Who's whining?" Kai said with a grin, "I'm feeling pretty damn fantastic!"

Yoruichi shook her head as she watched them, the two of them were just too similar.

"I take it things are going well?" Shinji asked as he walked over to them, Kyoko right behind him.

"She seems happier," the older woman noted, watching as her student and Kensei's fight turned into an all out brawl.

"She always is after she gets to punch something," Kyoko said with a laugh, "it's just how she is."

"You're worried about her, though, aren't you?" Shinji said, "You said she's been working too hard lately and that it seems to be getting to her."

Kyoko nodded, "This whole bankai thing's been eating at her for a while now," she said, "plus she has that huge art exhibition coming up and has a ton to do for it. On top of that, she's running nightly patrols and taking down high level hollows until the early hours of the morning. I'm starting to worry that her health will suffer if she keeps it up."

"That's a likely result too," Shinji said, proceeding to call out of Kensei and Kai, "HEY! If you two would like get your butts over here I'd be much obliged!"

The two of them stopped, Kai's foot millimeters from from Kensei's face and Kensei's fist millimeters from Kai's stomach. They looked over, both slightly annoyed with the interruption, but broke apart. As they walked over to the three of them, Kyoko could see the fresh bruises and, scratches they had both sustained and shook her head.

"Honestly, can't you two go more than an hour in the same place without hitting each other?" she said, crossing her arms.

"You'll be the death of Hachi one of these days," Shinji said exasperatedly, "Kensei, you go and get fixed up first, I gotta talk with your student here."

"Who died and made you queen, Hirako?" Kensei demanded, but he walked away all the same. After he was gone, Kai looked at Shinji questioningly.

"What's up?" she asked, "Did something happen?"

Shinji shook his head, "Nope, I'm just thinkin' that ya need to pull back a bit," he said, "You're doin' too much and if ya keep it up, you'll die before ya reach bankai."

Kai blinked, "I feel fine," she said, "and if I don't train, I won't reach bankai either, Shinji."

"Then no more nightly patrols," the blond said, "you can't slack off college work and you insist on training, so I'm pulling you off patrol for a bit."

She stared at him, "You know the number of Hollows coming here has increase, Shinji," she said, "I have to fight them."

"Kyoko can handle them too, y'know," he replied, "And we're starting patrols too. You're doin' too much and I'm tellin' ya to stop. Focus on college for a while, this bankai thing will come to ya soon enough. And we'll step in with the Hollow business if it become absolutely necessary."

Kai threw her hands up in defeat, "Fine, I'll pull back, but don't expect to stop training just because I'm not patrol," she said, "I'll go get healed up by Hachi and then head home, I have to get ready for work and I still have canvases to work on after that."

"Oh right, should go to," Kyoko said, "I have to lead one of the tour groups tomorrow and have to make sure my notes are good to go."

"Tour group?" Yoruichi asked, "Is tomorrow an open house?"

Kyoko shook her head, "No, tomorrow Karakura High's third years are coming to visit and I've been assigned to lead one of the groups."

"What… what is this?" Ichigo demanded as Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and a lieutenant he believed was called Hisagi stood before him. He had come to school to find the four them waiting in his classroom, acting as though nothing was amiss. Even his classmates didn't even seem to notice the heavily scared, tattooed, bald, or fletched "students" sitting among them.

"Yo, Ichigo!" Renji said with a wave. He and the others stood up and practically dragged the unfortunate student out to the roof, the redheaded shinigami saying, "Don't make a scene, idiot, I thought you knew better!"

"Excuse for not expecting to see you guys again until I'm old and dead!" Ichigo said, "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"We're investigating, of course," Ikkaku said, "man, it's such a pain, you not having your shinigami powers anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"The number of Hollows attacking Karakura has skyrocketed recently," Yumichika said, "we're here to see if we can find a reason for it."

"There's also the possibility that there are more human shinigami in the area," Hisagi said, "part of the reason we're here is to talk to Ishida Uryu and see if he knows anything about them. We also plan to talk to Urahara about it later."

"I see," Ichigo said, "Well, it has nothing to do with me now, does it? I guess I'll let you do your work, then. By the way, Ishida's in 3-2, not 3-3."

Renji blinked, "What's gotten into you?" he asked, "we came all this way to see you too, you know!"

"It isn't like old times, though, is it, Renji?" Ichigo said, "I'm not a shinigami anymore, I'm human, I've got to live like a kid my age does. Heck, I've got a part-time job now and I have to start worrying about choosing my career and a college to go with it. I'm telling you Renji, I can't go running off to fight Hollows with you anymore."

"You've changed," Ikkaku said, "Captain Zaraki would be pissed if he saw you now."

He shrugged, "Can't change what's happened, can I?" he said.

"Even so, I'm sure we can fit some catching up time into the schedule," Yumichika said, "I'm sure Rukia would like to hear you're doing well when we return."

Ichigo opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Tatsuki running around the corner. She stopped short when she saw the shinigami, blinking at them in surprise. She then turned to Ichigo, saying, "did you know they were coming?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm just as surprised as you," he said, "anyway, what's up?"

"The bus is here, idiot, it's time to go," she said, putting her hands on her hips, "Orihime and everyone's already heading down!"

"Crap, I forgot about the trip," Ichigo said, then turned to the confused shinigami, "I guess you guys will have to come too."

"Where are we going?" Ikkaku asked as they were ushered onto one of two large buses waiting outside the gate.

"School trip to Karakura University," Tatsuki said as she and Ichigo took a seat together, adding, "crap, Orihime's probably on the other bus."

"I thought school fieldtrips went to museums and boring stuff like that," Renji said, taking a seat next to Hisagi while Ikkaku and Yumchika sat behind them.

"Third years have to think about where they want to go for further study," Ichigo explained, "Karakura U is supposed to be a pretty good college, so they want us to take a look at it."

"It makes sense," Hisagi said, "after all, the school you pick will help you pursue the career you want to go into. It's like going to Shino Spirit Academy to become a shinigami, Renji."

"Oh! I get it now," Renji said, "It makes more sense when you put it that way."

"What do you want to do, Ichigo?" Yumichika asked.

"I don't know yet," he said, "I might just go straight into work after high school, but I'm not sure."

"What about the others?" Ikkaku asked.

"Orihime's not sure either," Tatsuki said, "I'm probably just going to keep working at the dojo."

"Chad's going straight into work too, but I'm not sure what," Ichigo said, "I think he mentioned working in construction at one point. As for Ishida, I know he's planning on going to college, I think he said something about going into the business field."

"I see," Renji said, "Well, I guess it'll be interesting to see what a human university is like."


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, not to much to say in the way of author's notes, if you've read my stories before, you know mistakes are a given, though hopefully nothing too major. And if I put the Japanese of anything in here that you may not know, I'll try to remember to put translations as well. However, before anyone so much as THINKS of calling me a weeaboo, I'm going to point out that I'm in Japan as I type and am learning the frigging language, so stuff it. I don't want to sound vindictive, but I've gotten crap for this before from people outside of FF and I'm not about to let it happen here.**

**4**

They arrived at the University to find that they were being split into groups. Ichigo, Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Hisagi, Chad, Orihime, and Tatsuki were to be in the same group along with Keigo and Mizuiro. For Keigo was not exactly too keen on seeing Ikkaku or Yumichika again, but put on his brave face all the same.

"Kurosaki," the teacher said, "Ishida was supposed to be in your group too, but he's coming later and I think he said something about being taken on a tour by another student."

Ichigo nodded and talked idly with Renji and the others, allowing Orihime and Chad to catch up with them, while they waited for their guide. He began to grow uneasy when they ended up being the last students there. After a few more tense moments, a young woman ran into the lobby where they were waiting. Her violet-black hair was pulled into a high short ponytail, her bangs pinned to the top of her head. Her blue-green eyes shone brightly as she smiled apologetically at them. She was dressed in a pair of black cargo pants along with a bright blue graphic-T and sneakers.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, "My first class ran a little over." She bowed as she added, "It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Suzuki Kyoko and I will be your tour guide today."

"You're… energetic, aren't you?" Renji said as she grinned at them.

She laughed, "Just naturally like that, I guess," she said, "Now, where would you like to start the tour?"

"Can I get a look at your sports curriculum?" Tatsuki asked.

"I'd like to see the computer science department," Mizuiro said.

"I hear your art department is really good," Orihime added.

"Well we have time to do all three, I think" Kyoko said, "I guess we'll start with business then, since this is class building for it."

She took them to the upper floors of the building, showing them various rooms with hardworking students and teachers in the middle of detailed lectures. Renji and the other shinigami became intensely interested in watching the students work away in advanced programs on the computers. Next, Kyoko lead them through various sports areas: a basketball court, a soccer field, and the like, giving brief descriptions of the teams, the practices and so on. Finally she took them to the martial arts areas. After finally prying Tatsuki away from the judo team, she took them passed the kendo room, where the clash of shinai and cries of "MEN!", "KOTEI", "DO", and "SUKI", could be heard.

"They're getting ready for a competition," Kyoko explained, "So it'd be best not to go in right now." She opened the door to another room, "This is where I tend to be after school," she said, "Kali practice."

Inside the room were several students going at each other, a stick in each hand. Every time the rods met, a resounding crack echoed through the room. Ichigo wondered vaguely if they were train for a competition too, seeing as they were all attacking with almost frightening ferocity.

"Wow, that's a pretty intense martial art," Ikkaku said in awe, "What's it called again?"

"Kali," Kyoko said, "I think it's Korean."

"It has a certain finesse to it," Yumichika said, "they're so fierce, yet so graceful. It's beautiful!"

One of the students practicing looked up and broke apart from his partner. He waved at them, grinning, "Hey, Captain Suzuki! I heard you were leading a tour, how's it going?"

"Good! But you better get back to work, co-captain, or I'll be sparring with you this afternoon!" Kyoko called back.

The co-captain grimaced, "I wouldn't wish that on anyone, you're scary when you fight," he said.

Kyoko laughed and waved goodbye as she shut the door again, "Now then," she said, clapping her hands, "art was next, right? After that I believe your teachers arranged a picnic lunch for you all."

"So you're the captain of that team?" Hisagi asked, "that guy made it sound like you're something to be reckoned with."

She shrugged, "I've won a gold medal or two," she said, "I'll admit I'm not someone to mess with, though. Ah, here we are."

They entered a large building to see a large group of girls dancing in a room directly across from them. One of them, a girl with wavy blonde hair spotted them and trotted out to greet them, smiling politely.

"Who do we have here, Suzuki?" she said.

"A tour group from Karakura high school," Kyoko said, "We're going up to the visual arts section, Sakurazaki, not the dance section."

"Aw that's no fun!" the blonde cried, "Why don't I accompany you?" she turned to the company, "I'm Sakurazaki Arisa, lead principle of the ballet troup. Suzuki, please allow me to come too!"

"If you insist," the entire high school group could tell that Kyoko didn't mean it. The air was rather tense as they rode the elevator up to the top floor of the building. They stepped off to see what looked like a maze of various hallways, all painted in various bright colors intermixing with a black background.

"The artists did this?" Orihime asked, "It's so cool!"

"Yeah," Kyoko said with a grin, "each artist has their own studio up here and can come in to work whenever they want. My best friend should be up here now."

"I thought Kirihara worked in the morning?" Arisa asked as they walked along through the various passages.

"It's both now," Kyoko said, "They've got a huge exposition coming up and she has a ton to do for it."

A tousle-haired boy rounded a corner and up to their group, his glasses slightly askew, "I knew it! Sakurazaki, it's you! I need you to model for me!"

"Well, I have done some modeling in the past," Arisa said with false modesty, "What sort of modeling is it?"

"Well, you see, I'm going do dump paint on you and-!"

"Hell no!" Arisa said, "Do you know how hard that will be to get out of my hair?"

"But-!"

"No!"

The student sighed, "Fine, fine, I get it!" he said, "I'll go ask someone else," he turned to Kyoko, "You think Kirihara will do it?"

"We're heading to her studio now," she said, "why don't you come with us and ask her?"

The boy fidgeted nervously as they began walking again, "Well… Kirihara kind of scares me… I don't want to end up like Mori."

"Mori had it coming," Kyoko said as she knocked on one of the doors, "he was being a total ass, I don't blame her for breaking his nose."

"And he's fine now," a voice said as the door opened to reveal another young woman. She was on the taller side, around the same height as Tatsuki, with long supple limbs and a light figure. Her black hair was pulled back and French braided to the back of her head until in reached her neck, where it trailed off into a low ponytail. Were it unbound, it would have fallen a little past her hips. Her eyes were a prominent grey, well at least the right one was, the left was covered by her bangs, which she had gently swept to the left in order to hide it. Her ears were perforated with numerous hoops, studs, and bars and it was a wonder to the high school students that they hadn't fallen off yet from the weight. She was dressed in a simple black tank top along with a pair of ripped jeans. A black chain was wrapped twice around her throat choker-style before disappearing into the fabric of her shirt. Her upper left arm was bound in gauze.

She saluted them casually, "Hi there, I'm Kirihara Kaida," she said, "but I tend to go by Kai. Nice to meet you all." Her eyes lingered a moment on Hisagi, but it was so brief that he wondered if he'd imagined it. She turned to the brown-haired boy, "What brings you to my studio, Taro?"

Taro averted his eyes, "well, you see, I need someone to model for a photo series, it's the last one I need to get done for the exhibition. I'm titling it Art in the Artist and it involves getting drenched in paint and I'll understand if you don't want to do it, but-!"

"You want me to model for your series?" Kai asked.

"PLEASE DON'T HIT ME" Taro cried, shielding his face.

She sighed, "I'm not inherently violent, Taro," she said, "I won't injure anyone without legitimate provocation. Mori was being an ass to Kyoko, that's why I hit him, alright? Anyway, I wouldn't mind modeling for you as long as it's nothing ridiculously sensual."

"You'll do it? Thank you so much! Is now okay?"

Kai shrugged, "I guess it'd be alright," she said, turning to Kyoko, "You want to bring your group over to see a demonstration? To be honest, I don't want to show my paintings until the exposition."

"That's okay," Kyoko said, "I'd love to see this."

"Why Kirihara of all people?" Arisa demanded, "how do you know she'll do a decent job when she's had no experience."

"A photo series doesn't exactly require any experience except on the part of the photographer," Kai said coolly, "and I'm sure Taro has his reasons."

"Well, I want it to be feminine," the poor photographer said, "because I think it'll really capture the essence of the theme. I also need someone who can pull of exaggerated poses and Kirihara's really flexible, so… yeah…"

The group entered a large studio, the walls of which were covered in plastic except for one that was covered in an intense array of splatter paint. It was in front of this wall that Taro told Kai to stand.

"Would you mind doing the shoot in just a sports bra?" he asked nervously, "and are you okay doing it in those jeans. Oh, and you should do it barefoot and if you could leave your hair down that'd be great!"

Kai followed his directions, pulling of her shirt to reveal the navy sports bra underneath and letting her hair hang loose down her back. Taro then came forward with a few buckets of paint, carefully pouring a series of bright greens, oranges, yellows and reds over her body.

"Alright, Kirihara, now stand against the wall, yeah like that," Taro said, entering a more professional mode, "Now, stretch your left arm up, yeah like that, and tilt your head toward it, yup. Now, can you put the thumb of your right hand in you pocket, exactly, perfect. Okay, now hold still, good. Now…"

It continued like this for several minutes, often with Kai contorting herself into rather strange positions (at one point, she was literally upside down with her feet parallel with her head). After they were done, she said goodbye to them and went off to go take a shower and Kyoko lead the group out to the picnic area.

"So how did you like it?" she asked as they walked towards the other students.

"It was certainly interesting," Orihime said, "Is Kirihara a photographer too?"

Kyoko shook her head, "No, she paints," she said, "and she's really good at singing too, but that's more of a hobby for her."

"She's really flexible, isn't she?" Keigo said, "I'm surprised she was able to do all that for the photos."

"To be honest, she didn't really seem like the type to go that far someone she didn't seem really close to," Renji said.

"Kai's not the person she may seem to be," Kyoko said, "She's had a rough past, that's why she may seem cold, but in reality she's really nice and fun to be around. She's always up to helping people when they really need it, so it's only natural that she'd help Taro with his showcase."

"I must say, she looked quite pretty, even when covered with paint," Yumichika said, "It was very artistic."

"You and your obsession with beauty," Ikkaku said.

Hisagi remained silent as they dissolved into idle chatter as they walked. His mind was reeling with what had transpired within the art building. To think that, of all places, she'd be here, in the human world. After almost twenty years, he'd never have imagined that she'd be here. However, except for that fleeting moment where her eyes lingered on him, she seemed to have no idea who he was.

Her appearance was different as well. In Rukongai, her hair was much shorter and she always pinned her bangs back from her face. Her ears had also been completely devoid of any sort of metal and she had always worn her clothes in a more conservative fashion. The only thing he remembered was the chain around her neck, though in Rukongai she had just let it hang down, she didn't wear it in the fashion he'd just seen now.

His head continued to spin and he didn't even notice that the group had stopped until he almost walked into Chad. He looked around to see that Kyoko was staring at something behind them. All of a sudden, she sprinted forward, leaping into the arms of a tall, white-haired figure standing by none other that Ishida Uryu.

"HARU!" She cried as the figure, whom Hisagi realized was another student, set her down on the ground. He was thin, but obviously well toned, with a handsome countenance. His lower lip and right eyebrow were pierced, but not to the say extent that Kai's ears had been. He was dressed in a black button down, grey slacks over black army boots.

He laughed as Kyoko continued to hug him, "I take it you missed me?" he said, leaning down and kissing her lightly on the lips. As he broke apart from her, "I'm sorry I made you wait so long. I'm all better now and return to my daily routine."

"I'm so glad," Kyoko said shakily, wiping tears from her eyes, "I'm so, so happy you're okay. I was so worried."

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist gently. He blinked as he noticed the rest of the group and grinned, "Hi there, I'm Kimura Haruka, but feel free to call me Haru. Sorry if I interrupted anything."

"I don't think you did, Kimura," Ishida said as he approached the group, leaving the couple behind. The group sat a little ways away from the other students as they were given their lunches. Ishida looked a Renji questioningly, "Are you here to investigate the rise in Hollow activity?"

He nodded, "Yup, and the possibility that there are more human shinigami here helping you out."

"I've seen them," Ishida said, "but I haven't made contact with them. There are two of them and I know their female, but they always hide their faces so I can't point them out to you. I can tell you that they're really strong and that one attracts Hollows through music."

"Music?" Yumichika asked.

"She sings, drawing the Hollows to her, then her friend comes in a cuts them down while they're distracted. I've never actually seen the singer fight, but her reiatsu's probably at the same level as one of your captains."

"That's good to know," Ikkaku said, "It helps out a lot just knowing that much."

"Do they have a specific time when they show up?" Hisagi asked.

"Night time normally, but I didn't see them last night, though the Vizards were out, so maybe that's why they didn't show."

"I see, maybe we can talk to them and Urahara to organize some sort of plan to draw them out." Renji said, "Thanks for cooperating, I know how you feel about us."

Ishida shrugged, "Doesn't matter," he said, then turned to Ichigo, "So did you see what I meant?"

Ichigo blinked, "Oh right!" he said, taking the photograph out of his pocket, "I completely forgot to look."

Ishida sighed, "Honestly, and you call me a moron," he said, "Well, did you see a student by the name of Kirihara?"

"Yeah, I didn't really know what to make of her, though," Ichigo said, "Why?"

"Think back to what she looked like, then look at that photo," Ishida said.

Ichigo looked down at the picture, then stared as he thought about Kirihara. The girl in the picture was younger, yes, and her hair was at chin length, but her bangs hung in the same fashion as they did now and arm still had the gauze wrapped around it. She had a harder, more violent look in her eyes than he'd seen mere minutes ago, but there was no mistake, this kid was the Kirihara they had just seen.

"Good lord," he said, "you were right, four years can make one hell of a difference. I can't believe she used to look like this."

"What's all this about?" Hisagi asked. He blinked as Ichigo handed him the photo, "That's… Kirihara?" he said, knowing full well that complications would arise if he admitted having known her from Rukongai.

"Damn she looks different," Ikkaku said.

"She's much prettier now," Yumichika said.

"Why do you have this, Ichigo?" Keigo asked.

"A couple days ago, some gang leader came to the school and asked me to help him find this person," Ichigo explained, "he said the picture was taken around four years ago, but it seems like it really is that Kirihara person."

"What gang is he from, what's his name?" Tatsuki asked, "and why did he ask you?"

"I think he said his name was Howl… or Flower, Follower…?"

"FOWLER?" Tatsuki whispered furiously, "Are you insane, Ichigo? The Zodiac is not something to get mixed up in! They're huge, HUGE, local gangs would kill to join the Dragon faction, since it's based right here in Karakura town. I don't know why they're so popular, but there's no way a gang like that can be good news."

"What does a gang what with this girl?" Renji asked.

"Fowler said he just wanted to talk to her," Ichigo said, "but I don't know if it's true. Don't worry, there's no way in hell I'm turning her in to him."

"That's good to here, otherwise, you're body would be floating in the river by sunrise tomorrow," Ichigo nearly jumped ten feet in the air as Haru whispered in his ear. The white-haired student glared at him, his ice-blue eyes becoming even colder than they had originally looked. He snatched the photo from Ichigo's hand and tore it into nearly microscopic pieces.

Kyoko stood with him, an equally unpleasant glare on her face. The two of them sat with the group as she said, "If you even so much as mention Kai to that Fowler guy, we'll rip you to shreds."

"You know him?" Ishida asked in surprise.

"What does Kirihara have to do with him?" Mizuiro asked.

"That's her business," Haru said, "Suffice to say, she has no intention of making contact with the Dragons and we don't plan on letting them make contact with her. Kai's worked too hard to get the life she has now and if any of you destroy it, you can expect hell from us."

"Is that understood?" Kyoko demanded menacingly.

They all nodded, surprised by the sudden change in their kind demeanors. The two college students sighed, Haru looking at them all apologetically, Kyoko glaring at the ground.

"I'm sorry," he said, "we just care about Kai, that's all. She's the type to shoulder everything on her own and we're worried about what might happen if she continues on this way. We never know what she's thinking, all we really know is that she's a great leader and we trust her implicitly. Again, I'm sorry for threatening you are, but I was scared that you would had her over without a second thought."

"We'd never do that," Hisagi said, surprised by the vehemence in his own voice, "We're not the type to just hand someone over without the full story. Even if we did have it, we wouldn't do anything without knowing what was going to happen for sure."

"That's gallant of you," Kyoko said quietly, "But let's just put this matter behind us, alright?"

"I just have one more question," Chad said, "Why you, Ichigo?"

Ichigo shook his head, "Even I'm not entirely sure," he said, "Fowler's convinced my name came up in a phone conversation she had about two years ago."

Kyoko's and Haru's sharp glances at each other didn't go unnoticed by Renji. The redheaded shinigami began to wonder if they had a connection with his former comrade-in-arms.

Haru looked pensive for a moment, then cursed, saying, "so this Fowler keeps a record of things like that. That bastard must be real determined."

Kyoko nodded, opening her mouth to speak, but she stopped short. Ishida, Chad, Orihime and the shinigami felt it too. A group of Hollows had just entered Karakura town, and high level ones at that.

**Next chapter will be... yup, a fight scene. FINALLY, I know. That's also where the Japanese will start coming in and I'll do my best to remember tranlastions of kido spells and things like that, okay? Until then, reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Important Update to All Readers**

So, I'm happily settled into college, and working hard to build my major and get through my classes. It is understandable, therefore, that finding time for writing fanfics is a little difficult. Even so, I do have a couple in the works -or reworks. I'm going to write/finish/finalize work for the following series: The Betrayal Knows My Name (because I haven't finished even one version yet), D Gray-Man (because I owe it to myself), Bleach (because I have a fun plot line I'd like to work with, and I've never actually gone very far with writing for Bleach before), and _maybe_ Naruto (if I can keep the idea in my head long enough). As per usual, these will all have some version of my OC Kai, and other OCs will play parts in these fics as well (expect repeat performances from the names Haru, Akira, and Ren). I would like to stress, though, that this is not for lack of creativity, but for lack of energy to create any more new characters, especially when I fear I might bring in OCs from my book. That's right, folks, I'm writing a fantasy novel (I mean it, an actual novel with its own original plot and everything -holy sh*t, right?) and it's taken priority over writing with other people's characters. Still, every author needs a break from her own creations, and I consider working with "stock characters" a good break. That's why I will keep writing fanfiction for now. I do plan to finish each of the aforementioned stories, but updates will be slower, and it will take longer to get them done. All I ask for is your patience, and for you all not to be too hard on my when I hang up the long-term fanfiction hat permanently, which I will do when I finish the fanfics I've promised. I say long-term, though, because I may come back with a few shonen-ai oneshots every once in a while.

The long-term fics I am writing are final drafts of the following already published stories (sorted by series):

_( D Gray-Man)_

In Memoriam

Bound by the Symbol of Kegare

Forced Forbearance

Give Me a Reason

_(Betrayal/Uraboku)_

It's Just a Looking Glass

Where Hell Is a Good Thing

_(Bleach)_

Faded

These are the working titles for the upcoming fics, along with the intended pairings (subject to change):

_(D Gray-Man) _

Life Worth Living- KandaxOC (Maybe, it could end up just a friendship between the two of them).

_(Betrayal/Uraboku) _

Black on Black- LuzexOC (I'm actually really excited for this one)

_(Bleach) _

Security- OCxOC (heterosexual); OCxOC (homosexual) (Another one I'm pumped for)

_(Naruto)_

Fine Line- GaaraxOC (again, I may not write this. The idea isn't fully formed yet and I'm not as invested in the series as I once was).

I've already said it, but I'll reiterate: these are FINAL DRAFTS. If I haven't already completed them, I will NOT be finishing any of the already published stories that the finals are based off of. For that matter, I will not be finishing any other incomplete fics either. I simply don't have the time or inspiration.

As always, I appreciate your support. I won't delete my account, nor will I delete any previously written fics, as they serve as a reminder of how much I've improved as a writer. I hope you all will appreciate the new work coming your way. Nothing makes an author happier than receive feedback on her work. Thank you again, and I hope you're all excited for what's to come.

Feel free to message me with any questions!

~H


	6. Chapter 6

Please go to my account profile and read what's there- IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.


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